Category Archives: history

the last picture show

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Over a century ago, it was discovered that a rapid sequence of still images would seem to show motion. This phenomenon was based on human  “persistence of vision” which neatly fills in the brief gap between images. This concept … Continue reading →

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binocular vision

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. My first visit to Toronto Camera was in 1960 when they were on Church Street. I remember buying a Hansa Enlarger and Braun slide projector plus some chemicals and paper. I also picked up a copy of their July … Continue reading →

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megal what??

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Robert

Toronto.  We have featured essays from the”Fans in a Flashbulb” site from time to time. This essay is entitled, “A Time Travelling Magical Megalethoscope View of the Palace of Versailles” and was published at the end of last month. If like … Continue reading →

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clowning around

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Remember Emmett Kelley and these others? In this strip are many famous folk each with a camera of choice. My Friend George Dunbar asks, “The famous with cameras … Who are they?” Food for thought back in the days … Continue reading →

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and the winner is …

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Mid last century, companies worked hard to win a larger slice of the amateur photo market – especially in the USA, We saw where give-a-ways of non competing products for a few dollars and proof of purchase were used, … Continue reading →

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cough, cough

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Many companies last century offered deals on non-competing products to expand their market segment. An example was Marlboro cigarettes and Kodak (in the days before the link between cigarettes and lung cancer/heart disease was legally confirmed and tobacco products … Continue reading →

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predicting glass

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Wikipedia has an article on a famous essay that predicted things we take for granted today – like computers, Google Glass, AI, internet, robots and more. In 1939, Vannevar Bush published his essay “Mechanization and the Record”. After the … Continue reading →

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wishful thinking …

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. When Edwin Land announced the famous Polaroid Land system a few years after the war, dealers had difficulty keeping the “picture-in-a-minute” cameras and film in stock.  By the time this ad showed up, the Polaroid system was down to … Continue reading →

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bean bag boogie

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. With the proliferation of fast cameras and films, photographers began to search for a simple support to rest the camera or long lens on. More flexible than a tripod; steadier than hand held, especially when depth of field was … Continue reading →

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getting a leg up

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Robert

Toronto.  Over the years there were many kinds of camera supports. The early studio supports were massive wooden boxes, usually with four legs. When cameras were used outdoors we soon saw the traditional three legs – tripods – first of … Continue reading →

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